The Ups and Downs of an Interspecies Relationship
by Flying Pyro of Doom
Summary: A sequel to Unconventional Wooing, showing some of the fluffier issues Boris and Pierce would be dealing with. Boris/Pierce, mostly fluff.
1. Intro

That's right! I'm back! I missed you! If you haven't read "The Unconventional Wooing of Pierce", then go do that now! I don't know why you wouldn't have, though…there are only about ten people in this fandom anyway…~Ali

* * *

The country of Hearts was both relatively small and incredibly gossipy, so news could travel completely across the land in less than a day. Relationships were one of the favorite topics for discussion, especially with the maids in Heart Castle, and no one was surprised when word of the new couple traveled to every open ear. Pierce and Boris were a little bit embarrassed to know that they were common knowledge, but they were too busy trying to function to really notice or care.

That had been about a month ago, and Boris and Pierce found that they were STILL trying to work through their numerous problems. Boris had tried his best to think things through before going after Pierce, but there were some troubles that he never would have dreamed of. Simple things like meals and bedtime managed to cause the worst problems. That wasn't to say that they weren't a fairly average couple. Now, of course, every couple has their problems.

Though, a problem like bickering over who loads the dishwasher is hardly comparable to the fear of being eaten by your significant other.

Differences aside, they were still a mostly functional couple.

Mostly.

* * *

Ali's Notes:

My goodness, guys! It's great to be back! No, before you go and yell at me about how it's only two hundred words, let me say this…my intros are always short. I'll probably be posting this at the same time as the first 'actual' chapter, so don't freak out. Basically, this is exactly what the title says. It shows the good and the bad that come from a relationship between a cat and a mouse. I'll write a real note at the end of the first chapter, but until then I love you all!

~Ali.


	2. Bad Dreams

Sleeping had never been one of Pierce's strong points. It was obvious that his paranoia often got the better of him. Just the idea of being near a certain cat had left him checking under his bed, and now that cat was sleeping in the same bed as he was. In the past month he'd tried his very hardest to calm down his fears, and he even succeeded every once in a while. Sadly, some nights didn't go so well for the mouse.

Pierce had finally convinced his body that it was tired, and managed to doze off just long enough to wake up again. He'd slept just enough to leave him groggy, and this pattern of sleep and befuddlement went on for a good hour before he'd settled down enough to actually stay asleep for an almost acceptable period.

Of course, given how his attempts at sleep had gone so far, it was no surprise when he had a nightmare. Something about chasing and bells, he really couldn't remember it later. All he could think of was pink and fur and something or other and it was scary.

Pierce's body finally won against his brain, and tried to bring him back to consciousness. He took a moment to be grateful for his return to reality, but it was so rudely shoved out of the way by pure fear. Pierce was not the type of person to wake up immediately, and would often retain bits and pieces of his dreams all the way into the mornings.

As luck would have it, sometime when Pierce had been dreaming of pink fur and bells, Boris had decided to come and visit, and when he found Pierce actually sleeping for once he'd curled up next to him. That was an endlessly sweet gesture that went horribly, horribly wrong when Pierce discovered the pile of pink fur in the bed and panicked. Now, Pierce had been a mouse for long enough to know that if you turned tail and ran; you'd get caught. Instead, you had to be stealthy and quiet.

That was why he attempted to crawl over the pink bob, instead of going around it. In his head, it'd made perfect sense. No monster would expect its victim to crawl over it, right? Of course, pretty much anything could make sense when Pierce was half conscious and caffeine deprived, and that's exactly what he was when he attempted to crawl over the fuzzy pink cat in his bed.

Unfortunately, for Pierce, cats are very light sleepers, and the very slightest movements had Boris' ears standing straight up, and his eyes were just open enough for him to watch the attempted trek past his body, which didn't go quite as Pierce had planned it.

As Pierce did his best to sneak past the fluffy mass, he also happened to move into prime pouncing position. Boris took that moment as an invitation, and dragged Pierce down, his arms wrapped around his waist. The near assault earned a squeak from Pierce, but thankfully startled him into a fully conscious state. Boris had him pinned, and was stretched out on his back, with his chin on Pierce's shoulder.

"Hey. What's up?" was all Boris had to say, to which Pierce responded with an unhappy

"Well, if you'd get up, it'd be!"

Boris thought about it for a moment, before answering with "Nope." He settled in a little more, and wrapped his fur boa around both of their shoulders.

"But…but…ar! Get off…Please?"

Boris once again rejected the idea, and instead rolled over onto his side, and pulled Pierce along with him. He wrapped his arms around his shoulders, and nuzzled the back of his neck.

"No, I'd say I'm quite happy riiiight here. "

Pierce gave up struggling, and instead heaved a deep sigh and burrowed his head into the boa.

"Y,know, you're way to much of a cat sometimes."

"Well, maybe the big scary cat will help keep the bad dreams away."

No one spoke after that. Boris was quite content, and though he wouldn't admit it, so was Pierce. Sure, maybe he was a bit more than Pierce could handle sometimes, but at the end of the day they were an almost-but-not-quite functioning couple.

* * *

Ali's Notes:

-This was HARD to write. Like, A LOT. And even now, it feels really…boring.

-My Pierce in this one is based a lot off of my sister, who's an insomniac.

-Aw, Pierce…hon…. you're living with a cat. Get over it.

-No one expects the Spanish in- I mean...hey look! a kitty!

-Boris sounds SO suggestive when I write him…not my fault! Also, Pierce sounds like a wannabe tsundere.

Serious Notes:

Alrighty, folks. I'm going to tell you this now. The lengths of these chapters are going to fluctuate like mad, and I apologize for that now. The next one is going to be MASSIVE, this one was pretty short, and the next two after that one are going opt be medium lengths. I'm sorry for that!

The important thing I'd like to say here is Thanks SO MUCH to all of you who reviewed the first story, an I'd love to hear form you again!

~Ali.


	3. Hunting Birds and Mice

Pierce had mostly come to terms with the fact that cats do, in fact, hunt. He'd also realized that a cat's "playing" greatly resembled hunting, and that meant a lot of pouncing and nipping. Heck, sometimes the "playing" could even be sort of cute, though he'd never admit that to anyone, ever. In his head he was fairly used to the tackling, but sadly his body wasn't on the same page. His brain had learned with time that, when one was walking under a tree and something large, pink and furry dropped from said tree onto you, it was probably Boris. Apparently his instincts never got the memo, because his first reaction was still a loud, fearful chirp that was followed by a relieved sigh.

That sort of thing happened often, and eventually Pierce decided that he just couldn't take much more, his heart might just give up. So, one day while he was out and about, Pierce stopped by a toy store he frequented. It had always been a bit cramped and rickety, but the little baubles and games displayed on the shelves could keep his browsing for hours.

Unfortunately, he didn't have hours. His search was just the littlest bit urgent, after all. Pierce scoured the shelves for his items of choice, and with a bit of luck found his first item back by a rack of plastic water guns. He plucked a container of the mystery item off the shelf and went on his way to find the second object.

The second commodity happened to be hidden between the RC cars and helicopters. It seemed like luck was on Pierce's side that day, because there was only one of what he wanted left. He promptly squirreled it away, and scampered to the cashier with his two items in hand. He sat them both in the counter, happily bought the toys, and scurried back to his home. He had preparations to make, after all. You couldn't just hand someone a shopping bag full of presents, after all. That would just be rude!

So Pierce headed back home and prepared himself for the next time he found Boris, which happened to be the very next day.

The night went by, Pierce tried his very hardest to sleep curled up with Archibald, failed miserably, and the next morning came as it always did. Pierce went about his morning routine, and wandered off in search of Boris. There was one important fact he'd learned about Boris in the time they'd been together so far. Cats have a habit of disappearing at random intervals, and then showing back up as if they hadn't been gone longer than an hour. It didn't particularly bother him, it was just a fact.

While he was thinking about this particular subject, he did not succeed at finding Boris. No, Boris found him, and decided to greet him as he always did.

Pierce's search was interrupted when a pair of arms appeared, as if by magic, from behind him and wrapped themselves around his middle. He tried to look back just a bit, and a chin appeared on his shoulder, bringing with it a rather familiar face.

"Hey. Whatcha' doing?"

"I was looking for you! Wait, did I find you, or did you find me?"

"Ho hum…I'd say I found you this time. So, what'd you need?"

Boris detached himself from Pierce's back, afterwards Pierce turned to face him.

"So, what's up?" Boris looked just the tinniest bit curious when Pierce pulled out a small bag from his coat, and presented it to him. Boris took the bag, reached inside, and pulled out a small bottle of bubbles. He looked at Pierce, a little baffled about the spontaneous gift.

"Well, you tend to chase the birds…and me… and, I thought maybe instead of tormenting the birdies…and me… you could try these out? Maybe, for just a little while?"

Boris sighed, but couldn't help but nod when he saw Pierce sink into a pout. It wasn't possible for him to fight the power of the cute.

"Fiiiine, Jeez."

The droopy face vanished, and was replaced with the amazed face that he wore almost everywhere.

"Really?"

"Yeah, yeah. Don't say I never do anything for you."

Boris left with a kiss for Pierce and went back to his mysterious daily activities. Pierce didn't think to ask what exactly he did during the day, and really he didn't care. He was just happy to know that maybe, just maybe, Boris might calm down with the tackling.

Boris reappeared later on that day, and the bubbles were nowhere to be seen, which brought about a sigh from Pierce when he was found for the second time that day.

Pierce was still out walking, just enjoying the day when the pale arms appeared; this time loosely around his neck. He felt the weight of a head on top of his, and tilted as far back as he could with the extra weight settled on top of him.

"See? I didn't tackle you this time. That's twice today, It's gotta be a new record." Pierce knew that translated to "I really didn't care for your present, but I'm a nice guy and don't want to tell you that", but he chose to ignore it and change the topic.

"Boris, I'm tired." It was true. He'd been wandering around for quite a while, and it had taken a lot out of him. He could feel the weight on top of his head shift a little bit, and then it fell into its familiar position on his shoulder.

"You wanna head home?"

Pierce nodded, and the weight left his shoulder along with the arms around his neck.

"Alrighty, let's head out."

Boris reappeared in front of Pierce and held out his arm, offering him a ride home. He shook his head no, but didn't complain when Boris hoisted him up onto his back. They sort of talked on the way home, and Pierce mentioned something about a remote controlled mouse. Boris had no idea what he was talking about, but let him go on about this mouse. Apparently there was one somewhere in his house, or something to that extent.

Much to Pierce's dismay, the bubbles did absolutely nothing, and his other present had vanished. Boris continued his normal routine of pouncing, tackling, and the occasional spontaneous wall pin. Boris enjoyed his games, and both Pierce and the birds were left checking in trees before walking under (or perching in) the trees.

* * *

Author's Notes:

-This chapter is actually reminiscent of my Valentine's Day fic for this couple that I'm doing. I hope you don't kind!

-The return of Archibald!

-Dialogue. I have trouble with it.

-By the way, I love the mental image of Boris just hanging out and having a conversation while holding onto Pierce, who's given up on not advertising their relationship at this point. I wish someone would draw it for me!

-Catnip bubbles exist, folks.

-GEEZ. This was NOT supposed to end on such a cute note. AT ALL.

Serious Notes:

So, my lovelies. How's it going? How's life? I hope you're well! Hehe, sorry. I'm just a little silly today; I've no clue why. It's certainly not because I'm happy with this chapter, because I'm not. Maybe it's because I'm so happy to hear from you guys? That may be it! I seem to be writing in a different style in this note, much like this sequel has seemed a bit less Pierce-tined when compared to Unconventional wooing. It feels a bit more passive, but I'm not quite sure why. Oh well, I don't mind all that much. I love you all so very much!

~Ali.


	4. Twitchy Tails and Jealousy

Pierce had learned that, though Boris was very much a cat, some things about him, completely contradicted that fact. He'd found that Boris wasn't nocturnal, much to his dismay, and quite liked his sleep. Cat toys did not amuse him, especially when they were thrown directly at his head from another room in hopes of distracting him. He didn't particularly seem to mind water, but wasn't pleased when a bucket of said liquid was spilled on his head. One of the many traits he did share with felines was a territorial streak. If something, or someone, belonged to Boris others shouldn't touch them. Eventually Pierce realized that he was one of these things. Really, it shouldn't have been all that hard for him to figure out, given the clinginess shown only around other people, the constant displays of affection when around almost anyone, and several other habits of his. Even though all of this was clearly displayed for and acknowledged by Pierce, he still couldn't comprehend why Boris got mad whenever he tackled one of his own friends.

Boris and Pierce often spent their days just walking to nowhere in particular and talking while somehow managing to say practically nothing. Now, when one spends long periods of time walking down streets, one tends to find many people on said roads. That was true for the two of them, and though more often than not they were people the two didn't know, sometimes they would find a friend in the clusters of people. One day, they'd stumbled upon Elliot March; the rabbit that'd always held a soft spot in Pierce's heart. Now, anyone who held a special spot in Pierce was automatically considered a threat by Boris (Except for Alice, who could do no wrong.), and generally caused Boris to fall into overprotective mode. That was true in this case, as well as many others.

The clinginess began when Pierce shot off from his spot at Boris' side, mid-sentence. Boris knew that he was VERY easily distracted, but usually he gave some sort of warning before vanishing like that, but this time he was just gone. That meant one or two things. Either he'd just found the fluffiest puppy ever, or someone was passing out free ANYTHING. For some reason or another, it seemed that Pierce would take anything that had a free sticker stuck to it. Boris sighed, and really hoped that it was the second option. He really couldn't deal with any more pouting, which he was sure would come when he pointed out that he couldn't live in a house with a dog. He followed the zigzag path that he'd watched Pierce follow, and found that it wasn't a puppy that'd distracted him, but it was close enough. Pierce was excitedly bopping up and down in front of a bench that was home to a not-so-happy Elliot. Boris watched Pierce happily plop down on the bench and grin at Elliot, who was busy making a face that looked rather…growly. Boris took a moment, doubted the existence of the word growly, and decided that it was about time for him to join the little meet up.

Boris crept over to the two on the bench, and watched warily as Pierce obliviously rambled to Elliot, and invaded his personal space every time he said something he found particularly interesting or exciting. Elliot's response was always to scoot away and throw an uncomfortable glance over to Boris, who was sure that his face was saying something like "Hey. HEY YOU. Don't touch. Mine."

Boris could see that Elliot was painfully aware of his glaring, and he watched as Boris crept closer to them, until he was looming over Pierce's turned back. At that point, Elliot had given up on telling Pierce, and instead grabbed his cheek and turned his head around himself.

Pierce's face lit up when he finally realized what Elly had been trying to tell him all that time and he jumped up and stood next to the cat.

Elliot sighed, happy to finally have his personal bubble back, and looked up at the couple standing by him.

"So, what brings you two here?"

Before he responded, Boris worked an arm over Pierce's shoulder, to which he didn't really react.

"Oh, nothing much."

It was obvious that Boris wanted to leave. He was repeatedly glancing at the path they'd just appeared from, and Elliot tried to hint that maybe they should go on their way, but Boris wasn't a participant in the conversation, and Pierce didn't seem to get it. Elliot sighed for the second time, this time at how dense Pierce could be. Sometimes there was just no working with the boy! He wondered how Boris could ever deal with him, before finally realizing that there was no suggesting anything to Pierce, and deciding it would be best to just do it himself.

"Look, I've gotta go. Blood said he needed me for something this afternoon, so I should head out."

He stood and tried to get away before he could be innocently molested for the second time that day, but sadly he failed miserably. The small arms wrapped around him again, and he quickly freed himself before huffing down a nearby path that would eventually take him to the Hatter's Mansion.

Pierce pranced back over to Boris, and took his spot next to him. Boris once again slipped his arm around Pierce and refused to let him go. Pierce didn't mind all that much, and pulled for them to start walking again, which Boris nonverbally agreed to.

They continued their walk, just like they would any day. Pierce did notice the troubled silence, but thought that maybe it would vanish if he let it be. When it didn't, he started asking simple, silly questions that could only ever make sense in his head.

"Hey Boris?"

"Yeah?"

"Why does your tail do that?"

"Do What?"

For his answer, Pierce put his arm straight in the air and wiggled it spastically, attempting to mimic the twitching motion of an aggravated cat's tail.

"That."

Boris just looked at him for a second.

"…and when does my tail do that?"

"Um…Well…After I pull on it, that time I dropped that bottle of water on your head, sometimes after you jump out of trees and scare me, and right now."

Boris looked behind him, and noticed that his tail was, in fact, poofed out beyond all belief and flicking back and forth rather violently.

"Um, I dunno. 'Cause that's what it does sometimes?"

"But why?"

Boris looked down at him again. Pierce looked very persistent, and he knew that the question wouldn't be dropped until he gave a real answer.

"Well, I guess it's just one of those things I do."  
"You're not answering my question! WHY does your tail do that?"

Boris sighed and admitted defeat. There was no way around Pierce when he found something to focus on.

"Ah, I guess it's something I do when I'm a bit…I dunno, bothered by something? It's hard to explain. It's just one of those cat things."

Pierce stopped, and turned to look at him.

"Why are you bothered?"

"I'm not, alright? It's nothing. See? It's not even doing it anymore."  
He looked back, and his tail had deflated, and was just doing its thing, being a tail with no sign of annoyance.

Pierce looked at him, his tail, and then back at him, scrutinizing each. After that, gave a little nod.

"Fine. But, but, but! If you don't tell me important stuff, I'll be sad! That's not fun for either of us!"

Pierce's look of pure determination was sweeter than a strawberry, and Boris couldn't help but smile the littlest bit.

"Alright, I promise I'll keep you up to date on Boris News. Will that keep you happy?"  
Pierce nodded excitedly, and agreed with a small noise. He knew that Boris had meant it, and that did make him happy. Why wouldn't he be, when his love had agreed to talk to him even more?

* * *

Author's Notes:

I'm actually not all that happy with this chapter. I can feel my self getting a bit worn out with writing these two. Now, before you go "But Ali! You're the only active writer in this fandom!" I'll tell you this. I plan on taking a break form this fandom once I wrap up with this. If I can feel my writing stiffening and getting boring, then I will take breaks. That doesn't mean I don't love you or the pairing any less, it means I want to write good things for that fandom, and so want to cool off a bit. By the way, If you're interested, my next project will be a giant -Man crack fic that won't be what it seems until the very end. It will be interesting to write, and I can't wait to start that.

This chapter itself...I liked how subtle Boris was. He wasn't outright "Grrrr." He showed it with his actions, instead of his words, which I liked.

But yeah. I love you all tons, and hope you'll stick with me through the end of this, even if it is a bit stiff.

~Ali.

(Oh, and fwip isn't a real word.. It's like exuberantly flipping something back and forth. I'm not sure if spastically is a real word either, but I say it all the time, so yeah. )


	5. Scaredy Mouse

Two updates in two days, to make up for my two-week silence!

* * *

After their conversation, they continued on their way with Boris' arm still holding Pierce very tightly against him. Pierce still really didn't mind, and was very happy to just be so close to the fluffy boa and, of course, Boris himself. They found the path they'd already been following, and went on their merry way. They walked and chatted and laughed together for about twenty-five minutes before they were so rudely interrupted by the two small, familiar faces of the twins. They practically popped out of the crowd, and made their ways towards the cat and mouse. Boris noticed them first, and tried to direct them around the twins. That plan didn't work out so well, and they were followed and eventually caught. Before the conversation even started, Boris pulled himself in front of Pierce, just enough to feel a little better about the conflict he knew would be coming.

Dee started with a grin and wave at Boris, before he leaned over to get a good look at the cowering Pierce, who seemed to think he could sink into the boa if he leaned into it enough. That didn't work out, and so Dee began speaking.

"Oh, look brother! It's the scaredy mouse! What're you doing, clinging to a cat?"

That was when Dum joined in too.

"Well, lookit who we've got here! Dont'cha know he's our buddy? We're not so good at sharing, y'know. We might get mad of you stick around."

Boris knew he needed to step in, but for some reason or another he was having trouble. It had already been over a month since they'd become a unit, but still his old habits nagged at him to have a little fun. Of course, in that month he'd become very good at ignoring his nagging thoughts. That didn't stop them from being noticeable, though. He still had to tell himself that it wouldn't be worth it, and after all that he went through to earn Pierce's trust any misstep could break their relationship. Of course, that didn't put ANY pressure on Boris or anything, none at all.

Boris finally worked himself to the point where he could, in fact, cut in. The twins had been inching closer and closer to Pierce, who'd been trying to sink further and further away from them. Boris stepped to the side, and stood directly in the path of conflict.

"Hey. Don't you two have something important you should be doing, or something?"

They looked at each other, shrugged, and looked up to their friend.

"Not really. The Prissy Rabbit sent us out to get something, but we forgot what he wanted."

"So why don't you go and ask him?"

"That's what we were trying to do. He vanished, and the boss is busy doing something-or-other in his room. He said not to bug him."

Boris' first attempts at diffusing the situation had failed, and so he went on to try a new approach. He mustered in his "I am a grown-up, I swear." voice, and pointed in the direction that Elliot had been down about a half an hour earlier.

"Look, Elliot just went that way; he said he was heading to the Mansion. Go meet up with him, and I'll swing by and play with you later, alright?"

They pouted and pouted, and if it had been anyone else they probably would have just let the kids go on with their game. Boris was not any other person, and was indifferent. He urged them to leave twice more before they finally gave up and wandered away, but not before they stuck their tongues out and mumbled something about him being a boring killjoy. They went off in the general direction of the Mansion, and the almost vanished Pierce reappeared beside Boris. He was obviously a little shaken, and was leaning against Boris. He looked down at Pierce, put his arm back on its rightful place on Pierce's hip, and gave him a little pat.

"You alright? You're not, I dunno, mentally irregular or anything like that?"

Pierce shook his head, and said "I'm fine, really."

Boris knew that, if Pierce wanted to talk about it then he would, so he tucked the boa around their necks, wrapped one arm around him, like it always was, and pulled them back into their comfortable walk.

It was silent for a while, and since Pierce had gone and filled the heavy silence the first time, Boris felt like it should probably be his turn.

"Hey Pierce?"

"Hum?"

"Why does your tail do that?"

Pierce looked up, baffled and smiling just a bit.

"Do what?"

Boris gestured behind them, to the tan tail that was puffed up and swinging back and forth more than usual.

"That."

Boris grinned, and Pierce looked as though he was thinking for a few minutes, before he looked back up and answered very simply.

"Well, probably because I'm happy."

"And why are you happy, exactly?" Boris was using his playful voice, and he knew that the light, cheerful tone always made Pierce feel a bit better, and it seemed to work this time as well as any other.

"Well, because you stuck up for me, I guess, and 'cause you're holding onto me, and we're walking together, and today's a nice day. I like all those things, so I'm happy. Yup."

He nodded on the "yup" to add a bit of emphasis.

Boris had to agree on all of those points, and was glad to have finally pulled his thoughts from the twins.

"Well, that's good." It was quiet for a minute or two, but this silence was much more comfortable than the first. This was a content, almost sleepy silence, as opposed to the awkward, clunky one they'd felt a few minutes before.

The rest of their walk went by in near silence, and ended with a kiss on the forehead from Boris, a kiss on the cheek from Pierce, and cheerful waves on both ends.

All in all, it had been a very good day for almost everyone involved. Now, the only reason it's "Almost" and not "All" is simply because Elliot March couldn't quite make it back to the manor on time, and in the end was scolded.

* * *

Author's Notes:

-This was really short, I'm sorry.

Serious Notes:

First of all, I'd like to thank Gothicat for the ideas in this and the chapter before. It was suggested by her, and I would probably still be stuck if it weren't for her! EarthRiddle deserves love as well, she really made me want to actually go and finish this chapter, and also made me contemplate writing some Blood/Elliot and more Ace/Julius then what I've got sitting around on my computer. So yeah, thanks to you two, and to all of my lovely readers who didn't dump me after my two week break!

I actually reread the last chapter ,and found that I liked it more then I did while writing it. I'm thinking I'm hallucinating my writing getting stiff, probably because I'm a very shy and self conscious creature, and I always think my work is horrid. I got a bit of a confidence boost when I realized if I was reading this fic, I'd like it rather a lot. That makes me a happy camper.

Love to you,

Ali.

P.S. –The original "Unconventional Wooing" just hit 2,000 hits. Thank you all SO MUCH! Also, this is about to hit 500! Woot!


	6. Not Quite a Spat

It's a fact that every couple, at some point in their relationship, has an argument or two. Sometimes it was just a spat, sometimes it was something much, much more terrifying. No matter which side of the spectrum a relationship fell into, all that mattered was that all couples argue. Luckily for Boris and Pierce, they'd happened to settle into the area of "an occasional spat", Mostly thanks to the perfect combination of the passive Pierce and the active Boris. Of course, thanks to Pierce's very passive nature, when he did find it in himself to get mad, he would throw a bit of a fit. That was never a good day for Boris.

The first hint that Pierce was feeling testy was how he greeted Boris. Instead of his usual "Boris! Good Morning!" accompanied by a tackle that always welcomed him, he got a simple "Boris." with the 'I' drawn out, turning it into "Boriiiis." That was enough to lead Boris into picking his words carefully.

"What's up, Babe?"

The second hint at Pierce's displeasure was how he was sitting at his table, with Basil swimming in his bowl in front of him. Usually, he would just pop up and latch himself onto Boris in greeting. No such welcoming came, and Boris knew he was treading on thin ice.

"Were you hunting the birdies again?"

Boris glanced around, obviously guilty.

"No…"

"Then where did they go?"

"Maybe they went on vacation?"

"Boris."

There was his name with that drawn out 'I' again.

"Hey, why don't we go on a vacation?"

"Boris."

"…Yes?"

"Did you eat my birdies?"

Pierce crossed his arms, and gave the most harumphy look he could muster.

"No, I didn't eat them! I just…chased them around a bit. That's it!"

Pierce relaxed a bit, and Boris could see it. He was still obviously a bit grumpy though, but Boris felt that he was no longer in dangerous territory.

"Didn't I ask you not to chase the birdies?"

Boris sat down at the table, across from Pierce. He watched Pierce look at him, look at Basil, look back him, and then grabbed the bowl and set it on the chair next to him. Boris sighed.

"Don't worry. I'm not gonna eat him."

There was another moment of silence, broken by Boris once again.

"So…how about that vacation?"

Pierce, mimicking his significant other's favorite habit, reached across the table and patted him on the head. He watched with curiosity as Boris got a bit of an unfocused look, and then he pulled his hand away.

"Why'd you stop?"

"'Cause I can't keep my arm like that for very long…"

Boris grabbed his wrist, and walked him over to the large couch. Pierce didn't question it, and sat down where he was put. Boris sat down next to him, took his hand, and set it on top of his head, behind his ear.

"Scratch?"

Pierce realized he didn't have much of a choice, as Boris was much larger then he was, so he chose not to question and did as he was told. Boris' faces was the single most content thing Pierce had ever seen, and watched as Boris seemed to melt until it reached the point where Boris was practically laying across his lap. It was a strange feeling for Pierce, seeing Boris curled up like…well…a kitten. He'd never seen such an adorable expression on his face. Pierce certainly enjoyed the sight, and obviously Boris was having fun too.

That was when Pierce noticed the strange rumbling sound coming from Boris. He leaned down, and put his ear closer to the source of the grumbling, which just so happened to be Boris' chest.

"Boris?"

"Hm?"

"Are you…broken?"

Boris cracked an eyelid, and looked up.

"I don't think so. Why?"

"You're making a funny sound. You sound broken."

"No, worries, I'm not broken.

"…Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Sure that you're sure?"

Boris took Pierce's hand, removed it from his own had, and sat up.

"I'm sure, okay?"

To add a bit of emphasis, he took his hand and tapped Pierce's forehead with his pointer finger, before adding a peck on the cheek to the end.

Pierce's grin returned, but quickly gained a tinge of seriousness.

"Don't hunt my birdies, okay?"

Boris nuzzled into Pierce's shoulder, and mumbled something that could have been an agreement. At that particular moment, Pierce had other things to think about, like the Boris that was curling around him.

He did take a moment to celebrate the discovery of Boris' weakness. He was certain he'd be using it to his advantage at one point or another. But really, who wouldn't?

* * *

Author's Notes:

-I avoid using the word "Babe" like the plague. It couldn't be avoided. It seemed pretty in character for him.

-I feel like I lost their characters for a moment or two here and there.

-The mere thought of purring Boris is kind of scary. I imagine it's not exactly a big, purry-pur like my cats all have, but it's certainly a bit of a rumbly noise from our favorite cat boy.

-yeah…I'm pretty sure that if I would have gone on, things would have gotten inappropriate. Nuzzly Boris probably leads to…other things.

Serious Notes:

This chapter was hard for me to write, and really short. Really, I don't mind it, though. It's pretty decent. This will have an omake chapter, which is a part of the reason it's so short. I don't have much to say about it, so see you all later!

Much Love,

Ali.


	7. Extra:Necessity and Love

Corny, corny, corny. So much Corn.

* * *

That very same day Boris and Pierce found themselves curled up together on the couch, with Pierce snuggled happily into the fluffy boa, and Archibald perched on the back of the cushion. Something had been bothering Pierce since earlier, and he finally decided to bring it up in the way that made most sense to him.

He pawed at Boris' arm in an attempt at getting his attention. It worked, and Boris looked down at him.

"Hm?"

Pierce took a deep breath and, with all of the energy he could muster, said only one word.

"Purr!"

Boris jumped at the exclamation, then had a moment of shock followed by utter bafflement, which he ended with the only words he could form.

"What?"

"Purr!"

"Yeah, I got that much. Why?"

"Well, you made that noise earlier when you were all happy, and now I'm happy, so I thought I could maybe do the same thing! Purr!"

Boris looked down at Pierce. He was confused, complimented, curious, and all in all radiating "Geez, this kid is so cute."

Pierce was staring at him expectantly, and Boris quickly realized he was supposed to respond. He really didn't want to, since he knew that if he opened his mouth again He'd say something really stupid. Pierce had told him time and time again that he's sappy, and when Pierce notices what a sap someone is, you know it's bad. One more, questioning "Purr?" from Pierce, and it was all over. Boris couldn't help but say the first thing that happened to come to his mind, which just so happened to be sappier then maple syrup.

"Jeez, if you keep that up I might get a cavity."

Pierce was utterly confused, and showed it very clearly.

"Huh?"

"'Cause, you're seriously too sweet sometimes, y'know that?"

He realized the sap he'd just let slip, but really didn't care at the moment. They were sitting forehead to forehead, and that horrible, corny statement earned a giggle from Pierce, followed by another "purr!", though this one wasn't yelled, just spoken. Boris resisted the urge to say something else horribly corny, and instead just gave a kiss on the cheek before leaning back into the cushion. Pierce settled back down onto the boa, and every once and awhile mumbled a small "Purr…" They stayed like that for quite some time, and after a very long silence, Pierce started fidgeting around once again. Boris once again decided to speak first, instead of just letting the squirming go on for forever.

"What's up?"

"I wanted to tell you something."

"And that is…?"

"I love you."

Boris looked down at him for what seemed the millionth time that day. He'd wriggled around so that he was facing Boris, and was watching him nervously.

"What brought that up all of a sudden?"

"Well, I'd realized earlier that I'd never said that to you. So I thought I should do that. Yeah."

Boris thought for a second and realized that it had been the first time he'd ever heard those particular words directed at him.

"Well, I love you too. Now shush so I can take a nap."

And that was exactly what he did.

* * *

Author's Notes:

-Archibald! I missed you so!

-This was actually really, really freakin' fun to write.

-Aha, remember my Maple-syrup sap from the first one? It's baaaack.

Serious Notes:

This was seriously the most fun I've had in ages. This idea was actually why I wanted to do the chapter about fighting. I feel like it might be a bit OOC, but I don't really know what Affectionate!Boris is like. He feels like he'd have to modes, Imma-make-out-with-you and cuddly/sappy/adorable.

Really, I love this. It's really longer then an extra should be, but oh well. Just the images I get for this are too cute for words. Plus I realized I hadn't had Pierce say "I love you" yet. That's sort of important.

See ya with the next chapter,

Ali.


	8. Grooming and Cat Hunting

It wasn't uncommon for Boris to barge in with little to no warning, to tell Pierce to be ready to leave, and then vanish for a half an hour. That left Pierce about thirty minutes to prepare for whatever adventure Boris had planned.

That particular day, that very same scene played out just as it always did.

Pierce stood before a mirror, adjusting his hat and clothes with Archibald propped up on top of the mirror.

"I dunno where we're going, but that's how it always works, so I don't mind."

He would have gone on, but he was interrupted by the familiar pink-and-black body that was Boris. He, as always, felt the need to thoroughly tangle himself around Pierce, and did just that. Pierce did his best to ignore the face nuzzling into the back of his neck, but Boris just wouldn't have that. He wrapped his arms around Pierce's shoulders, and, using the mirror, looked him in the eye from over his shoulder. Pierce tried to work around the arms, but that didn't work out at all. He put his arms down in a huff, and looked at Boris as best he could. Boris had stooped down a bit, and he could no longer be seen with the mirror. Pierce struggled to turn around, but stopped.

"What are you-Eep!"

His question was interrupted by a strange feeling on the back of his neck. It was rough like sandpaper, and rubbing against the back of his neck. He couldn't quite process why it was familiar for less than a moment, and then he realized exactly what was happening. He was being licked.

Pierce panicked, and tried to struggle away, but Boris was holding on tight. He squeaked a high, unintelligible jumble of sounds, and Boris paused, popped his head up, and perched his chin on its spot at the base of Pierce's neck.

"I thought you weren't gonna eat me…"

"No,no,no. I wasn't trying to eat you. I was just…helping. Yeah, helping."

"Helping?"

"Yup, helping. "

He said it in a very matter of fact tone, and Pierce was too busy getting over his panic attack to come up with a response.

They sat like that for a moment or two, with Boris' arms still slung around Pierce, and his head nestled against his neck. Pierce would later acknowledge that it was a sweet moment, but at the time he was too confused to realize the comfort in the situation he was in.

Then the moment ended, and Boris slunk off to do something or other. Pierce sighed, and went back to adjusting his clothing and hair, and picked back up his one-sided conversation with Archibald.

"What just happened?"

The lack of response didn't surprise him, and he sighed again. After a few minutes of fixing himself up, he deemed himself appropriate, scooped up Archibald, and went off to find Boris.

That wasn't particularly difficult. Boris was lying on his back with one arm slung over his eyes, on the couch. Pierce tip-toed past the couch, carefully say Archibald down next to Basil's bowl, and crept back to the side of the couch. He remembered everything Boris had ever told him, took a deep breath, and pounced.

Boris woke with a jolt and a grunt, and Pierce beamed down at him.

"What are you-"

He was interrupted by Pierce, who was sitting on his stomach, with his arms crossed.

"Sh! Grrrowwwwwl!"

Boris looked up at him, still very much unconscious and confused.

"I don't get it."

Pierce pouted before attempting another growl, followed by actual speech.

"You were sleeping."  
"Uh-huh."

"That meant that you were," he paused to think, "unguarded? Yeah, unguarded. You always say that when I get tackled it's my fault for being off guard. So, I did what you always do! I hunted!"

Pierce clapped his hands in excitement, before remembering that he was being a mighty hunter. Mighty hunters didn't get so overly excited, and so he attempted to flatten his ears down against his head, and ended up holding them in place.

"Grrrrowwwwwl!"

They sat like that for a few minutes, before Pierce finally spoke up again.

"Boris?"  
"Yeah?"  
"So…. what do I do now…?"

Boris held back a grin, and Pierce could see it. It may have bothered him a bit, but there were more important things to worry about.

"Well, you could always play with your food."

Pierce shook his head, and decided it would be best to just go back to growling.

"No! Grrrrroowwwwwllll! I caught you, and that mean you're gonna do what I say, right?"

Boris shrugged, and that was enough of a 'yes' for him.

"Carry me!"

"What?"  
"Carry me!"

On the repeat, he gave a sharp nod, showing that he could be just as tough as anyone else.

"Why?"

"Because I said so?"

Boris took a breath and sat up with absolutely no effort, causing Pierce to tumble back into the cushions with a squeak. Pierce watched as he harrumphed over to the door, opened it, and shooed away the cats that always gathered. He'd never been sure why he always had a congregation of kitties on his porch, but he had a sneaking suspicion that it had something to do with the plant that was given to him by Boris. That didn't matter at the time, though, and Pierce continued to watch as Boris trudged over to him, and stooped down with his back to Pierce.

"What are you doing?"  
"You wanted me to carry you, right? Well guess what? You caught me."

Pierce was too excited for words. He loved, loved, loved being given piggybacks, but no one would ever carry him, no matter how often he asked.

He happily climbed onto the awaiting back, and wrapped his arms around Boris' neck.

"Only because you caught me, alright?"

Pierce nodded into the ever-present boa, and they were on their way.

* * *

Author's Notes:  
-If you have cats, you know what I mean by "Thoroughly tangle himself around".

-Goodness, Boris. Licking people is bad. You'll freak out Pierce.

-I really don't put it past Boris to lick someone and then claim that he was helping them groom. It's very...Boris-like.

-Goodness, Pierce. You're cute, love. You're not very masculine, no matter how hard you try.

Serious Notes:  
I quite enjoyed writing this, actually. I loved Boris being all grumpy when he realized that he'd lost, and I love that he actually gave into Pierce's demands. So much fluff. Want to know something else fluffy? Pierce trying to Growl. B'AW!

I apologize for the shortness, but It couldn't be helped.

Also, This is just about done, and after this is finished I'll be moving on to other things. I have two more ideas for Boris/Pierce writing at the moment, Though. One will be a two-shot for my friend, and the other will be a side story to go with this, probably also a one-shot.

Anyway,

Love, the Universe, and Everything,

Ali.


	9. A Small Mishap

Pierce had always enjoyed being carried, and so the trip to wherever was very fun for him. He spent most of the ride playing with e soft fur of the boa, and the softer hair on Boris' head. That kept him pretty content, but occasionally the flicking pink tail behind him would distract him. Boris noticed this, and would use his tail to flick Pierce on the back. Pierce would whip around to try to catch the culprit, but would find nothing unusual. He would turn back to the fuzzy boa, and the cycle would continue. This act played out multiple times, until Pierce finally latched onto Boris' tail with an "A-Ha!" He held on until they reached their destination, which, luckily for Boris, was very close.

Boris stopped, and Pierce looked up from the fascinatingly twitchy tail grasped firmly between his palms. What he saw both confused and enchanted him, and he practically leapt off of Boris so he could get a better look.

It was a circular clearing, surrounded by trees. It was bordered, on one side, by a small, shallow river. Opposite the stream was a table blanketed by a pink tablecloth, with all sorts of goodies spread out across it. Pierce ran to the middle of the clearing, spread his arms, and did a twirl before running back to Boris, with a big hug reserved just for him. Little arms latched around Boris' neck, and a kiss to the nose followed.

"It's great!"  
There was a pause.

"But what is it?"

Another pause.

"Well…It's a picnic and, if you want to, you can", he had trouble saying the next words, "WE can…dance…or whatever."

He was obviously embarrassed and trying not to show it, but Pierce flung his arms around his waist anyway and, with a cheerful sound, and tugged him out to the middle of the clearing. He knew that Boris hadn't done this because he thought it'd be fun, but because he knew that Pierce had wanted to go to a dance for ages. In response to this realization, a kiss was given before Pierce swung himself around in a big circle, while pulling Boris with him. Pierce pulled them along in a sort-of dance that was jumpy and spastic and so very like him, and Boris did his best to keep up. Pierce was laughing and swaying, and Boris decided it would be his turn to lead. He worked the two of them into a simplified waltz, easy enough that Pierce could almost follow it, but with a flair that let him show off, like he always did. They went on, and smiled and laughed together until Pierce felt himself getting tired. That was when things started going not-so-well.

It started because of Pierce's sleepy movements. He wasn't quite as fast as he had been, and so his feet were often in the wrong place at the wrong time. That wrong place was usually exactly where Boris' feet were going, and so his toes were trampled at least three times. Boris eventually sat him down by the small table, and then plopped himself down next to him. They sat together for a few minutes before something caught Pierce's attention by the stream, and he ran over to investigate. Whatever it was, it had been glimmering next to a rock for a while, and curiously had finally gotten the better of him. He knelt on the edge of the stream and stretched his arm out as far as he could, but couldn't quite reach it. With a little more straining, he could just touch the shiny thing, but at an unfortunate cost. He plummeted face-first into the shallow water when his hand finally curled around the shiny object. The first thing he noticed when he'd hit the surface was that it was cold.

Very, very cold.

He didn't really have time to notice anything else, since he was pulled out almost immediately. Boris was kneeling behind him as he spluttered out the freezing water that had made its way into his mouth. One hand was on his shoulder, the other found its home on his arm.

"Pierce, you okay?"

He turned to face Boris, who let his concern show, for once.

"No," His voice was high and chattery, "I'm COLD."

And with that he buried his head into the nearby shoulder, in hopes of sapping some of the heat that was always radiating from the other's body. Boris wrapped an arm around the smaller shoulders, and pulled the boa around him. They sat like the on the ground for a while, and Boris could feel the water seeping through anywhere that he was making contact with Pierce, but that didn't matter to him. His main fear was that Pierce would either get sick or cry, and both of those were bad. He'd experienced both, and neither was very fun. He held on until Pierce squirmed his way out of the hug, and wandered off to inspect something on his hand, before sticking it in his picket.

Boris got up and, in an attempt to make the soggy day a bit better, removed the boa from around his neck, and wrapped it around Pierce's shoulders. He looked up at Boris, and spoke.

"…But it'll get wet…"

Pierce reached up to remove the fluff from his neck, but Boris cut in.

"No, no, no. It's already wet. Wear it. I'm not having you get sick again."

He took Pierce by the shoulders, and led him over to the table of food.

"Hey, just 'cause things got a bit wet doesn't mean we can't still enjoy ourselves, right?"

He handed Pierce a plate that was full of more cheese- themed foods then could be comprehended. Unfortunately, he passed the plate with a bit more force than necessary, and sent about a third of the food tumbling to the ground and, even worse, onto Pierce's already-drenched jacket.

Boris gave up on the idea of success, and instead concentrated on keeping Pierce content. He grabbed a conveniently placed napkin that had been setting on the table, wiped up the cheesy mess that had blossomed across the jacket and led him off to sit for a bit at the side of the clearing. They sat and chatted, while Boris attempted to remove any remains of the wrecked food from the fabric. After a bit, thanks to Wonderland's rather spastic timing, dusk came where afternoon should have been. Boris acknowledged that the day had been a complete and utter failure, sighed, and looked to Pierce, who was watching the sky.

"Hey."

Pierce looked back down to him.

"Yeah?"

"You wanna head home?"

"Sure."

Boris chose not to clean up the table; he could get it sometime in the next few days. Instead, he decided to make up for the horrid day by giving Pierce yet another piggyback, which he greatly appreciated.

Pierce hung the boa back around Boris' neck before he excitedly accepted the offer of being carried, and they started back down the path that lead them home.

* * *

Author's Notes:

-This was probably so predictable, wasn't it? Especially the river fall.

-some of this I loved, some of it I hated.

-There's going to be something separate that links in with this later on.

Serious Notes:

I had a LOT of fun with this, actually. One thing I wanted to mention is Pierce's leading the dance was intentionally left mostly undescribed, mostly because I wanted everyone to get their own image from it. I've never seen him as someone who'd know how to dance, really, and I don't know what the games say on that subject, if anything, so I'm just going on instinct for this. I thought I did a pretty darn good job, too. I also really liked getting to try new things with Boris. I really like the thought of him being romantic but embarrassed about it, and the fact that Pierce doesn't get it just makes it worse. I'm sure Boris feels terrible about everything going wrong, but he can't do much about it.

I'm wrapping this up next chapter. I do have a few more oneshots and such floating around in my head for these two, but I'd really like to try at other fandoms that I'm in.

Lots and lots of candy for those who've read this far,

~Ali.


	10. Thoughts and a Nap

Sappy-sap-sap. Be prepared. ~Ali

* * *

On the way home, the two of them had a simple, sweet conversation about the day, mostly full of apologies from Boris and mumbled responses from Pierce, telling him that there was no reason to apologize. This half-hearted bickering was mostly kept on just to fill the silence, since both knew that if there was a long enough pause in their speaking Pierce might drift off. He'd been working on learning to sleep again, and it had recently started to pay off. He'd learned to nap, and he'd even made it a few nights without waking up in a panic. Both were very happy about this newly reacquired habit, because it meant that Pierce was mentally getting used to having a cat in his life, but that also had a few interesting side effects. Pierce's body seemed to want to make up for all of that lost sleep, so sometimes he would drift off anywhere that he felt safe.

So, they went along trying to keep him going by playfully squabbling, up until about five minutes away from home, where Boris decided that maybe letting him nap wouldn't be a bad idea. The last few minutes of the walk were completely silent, and Boris used that time to appreciate the last few weeks, and how quickly they'd grown accustomed to each other's habits and ways of doing things.

It was then that he realized that they'd only been together just over a month. That was a little over four weeks, which really wasn't long at all. Sure, they'd known each other before that whole ordeal, but what amazed him was how little time it'd taken them to go from mortal enemies to something much nicer.

His thoughts were interrupted when he reached the door, and had to attempt to enter the house without dropping, or even waking, Pierce. That was much more difficult then it sounded, but with a little effort it did happen. He entered the house, nudged the door shut with his foot, and made his way over to the couch that the two of them always seemed to be occupying. Boris carefully lowered the barely-conscious Pierce onto the seat, walked back over to the table, grabbed Archibald, and went back to where he came from. He knelt down, and sat the small cat next to the sleeping boy. It amazed him that the cat had become such a staple part of Pierce's life, mostly because he thought he'd never see the thing again. After spending almost all of his pocket change to catch the silly thing, he had been more than happy to pass it off. He hadn't thought that he'd be seeing it every day, being carried around almost like a baby.

After realizing that he'd been staring, Boris went to wander around the house until Pierce woke up. The first stop was the kitchen, where Basil the strangely named fish lived. He'd never understood why the fish was Basil, no matter how many times Pierce had tried to explain it. It really didn't make any sense, something about an encyclopedia and herbs, but that was a part of the fun of their household. Their family unit really made no sense, Boris thought, and he continued to mull over their strange extended family.

First there was the two of them, Boris and Pierce, who should never get along. They were a cat and a mouse that had decided that nature's roles were no fun, and with much coaxing from Boris a relationship had formed. With that forming, they'd gained the auntie/mother, Alice. She played mother hen, matchmaker, the caring aunt, and sometimes even the older sister. She'd helped Boris get his act together, and was really the driving force behind their courtship. Next came the pet, Basil, who Pierce often spoke to. His habits of conversing with the fish were strange, and it did confuse Boris, but he knew that they were barely functioning anyway, so what was a bit of schizophrenia to him? Next came the strangest part of their family, Archibald. Pierce treated the toy like a child, and that led Boris to wonder if maybe they'd adopted the stuffed kitten while he wasn't paying attention. He laughed a bit at that, and shook his head. No, the toy was definitely his child, if it had to be someone's.

He stopped, and realized the strangeness of what he'd just thought.

"I just claimed a stuffed toy as my child…"

He mumbled it completely to himself, and made his way away from the bowl and back to the main room, where Pierce was dozing. He knelt down again, and watched the sleeping face for an instant, before standing to attempt more wandering. It was an attempt, mostly because he didn't get very far before fingers tugged at his hand. Boris looked down, and found Pierce sitting up, with one hand latched onto his, and the other rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Boris?"

His voice tried its best to form the word.

"Yeah?"

"I got you a present."

Boris knelt down again, and met Pierce at his level. He watched as the hand that wasn't still firmly latched onto his dug through one of the coat's many pockets, and eventually pulled out with something held in his fist. Pierce opened Boris' hand, and placed the small object in his palm before releasing his arm and lying back against the pillows.

"Do you like it?"

Boris picked up the small object and inspected it. It was a tiny, shiny white square with a red heart in the middle. He turned it over, and discovered that it was a pin.

"I thought you could put it on your boa if you wanted to."

"Where did you get this?"

Pierce groggily looked down at his still-damp clothes.

"The river."

There was a deep sigh from Boris, both out of admiration and exasperation. Only Pierce would fall face-first into a river for something like that. Next, he answered the earlier question.

"Of course I like it."

He fastened it to the boa, a heart that didn't match all of his military-esque badges in the slightest. He didn't mind that it didn't go with anything else. It was from Pierce, and that meant it had to be a little strange.

Boris tapped the back of one of Pierce's hands, and got his attention without pulling him too far out of his sleepy state.

"Hey, come on. We're gonna get changed and go to bed, okay?"

Pierce nodded, and Boris helped him make is way to the bedroom.

Boris thought to himself, as they went, how maybe that day hadn't been a complete failure. Sure, some things may have gone wrong here or there, but no truly bad day could leave someone feeling so content. He'd had some time to think, and there he was, with the person he loved dearly and who loved him back equally. Nothing could make a day like that bad. Nothing at all.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Well my dears, that's it. I pretty much adore this chapter, except for the ending. I remembered at the end of Unconventional Wooing I had a Boris-centric chapter, and so I felt it would be fitting to throw one in here. I really wanted to write what Boris felt, not just in this chapter, but in the whole piece. I took it all out here, and finally got to view the world as Boris, and it turned out really, really nicely. I also wanted to make a point about Pierce trying to sleep, like he did way back in Sleeping Habits, but that he's now succeeding to some degree. It doesn't help how much sugar the image of Pierce sitting up, holding onto Boris' hand, and being really sleepy is too cute for words. I also really wanted to throw a mention out about their "family", because without it they'd never have gotten together. Alice and Basil, strangely enough, played the same role in each of their lives in Wooing. They were the encouragement, telling them to keep on trying. I love Alice, who plays six different roles in the family, and Archibald, the son of Boris.

So, guys, did you like it? I really want to hear what you guys think. I'm both happy and sad to finish this, mostly happy. I'll be writing these two, plus other unloved sets from Heart no, once I've worked on some other stuff. Right now I'm doing a request for a reviewer, a Kuroshitsuji fic, and a D. Gray- Man fic. There may be more stuff thrown into that mix, but those are my main projects.

And with that, I'll say I love you and goodnight. I'm doing important stuff in school tomorrow, and I need to have more than two hours of sleep.

Oh, There's something I've been meaning to ask of you. I've been contributing to this pairing like mad, and I'd like to be able to read some new work that isn't from me. If you've ever wanted to, have, or just randomly feel like it, then please write something for these two. The main reason this was my first pairing to really work with was because I felt it needed more authors and fans. I've been told that I introduced a nice handful of people to them, so I'll ask you guys once. If you want to, please write them! Let's bring even more people to this incredibly fun pairing…and maybe give me something to read that I haven't read half a dozen times already.

More love then you can shake a stick at (and more candy),

~Ali.

* * *

The Characters, places, and almost everything in this fic belong to the lovely folks at Quinrose. I own Basil, Archibald, the pin, the situations, and the text itself. that's it.


End file.
